OPINION: How New Mexico can lead on forest and climate solutions

In New Mexico, the land and the people are inseparable. Our forests are not only habitats for wildlife and headwaters for our rivers — they are home to the memories, livelihoods and traditions that define who we are. When we lose them to wildfire, we lose part of ourselves.

The Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon Fire made that heartbreak all too real. Entire communities were displaced. Generations of family land went up in smoke. Hillsides that once filtered our water and shaded our streams now erode with every monsoon. And in a hotter, drier climate, recovery will take years, even decades. That’s why Sen. Ben Ray Luján should support the Fix Our Forests Act when it comes before the Senate Agriculture Committee.

This bipartisan legislation will give New Mexicans the resources to restore our forests, protect our water, and strengthen our communities — without sacrificing the environmental safeguards that make those projects sustainable. Healthy forests are the backbone of a resilient New Mexico. They absorb carbon, sustain wildlife and secure the water supplies that feed the Rio Grande and Pecos River. But they also support jobs in restoration, recreation and sustainable forest management.

The Fix Our Forests Act invests in this kind of work — creating good-paying jobs in rural communities while helping to rebuild the ecological balance that keeps our land and water healthy. Equally important, the bill ensures that local input drives the process. Through the Fireshed Assessment framework, communities and tribes can help identify high-priority landscapes for restoration, ensuring that projects reflect local needs and cultural values.

I believe that the Fix Our Forests Act increases public participation in forest restoration. That means ranchers, conservationists and tribal governments will all have a seat at the table — turning top-down fire policy into true collaboration. It’s a recognition that the people who live closest to the land often know best how to care for it.

The Fix Our Forests Act, I believe, also protects the environmental review processes that safeguard wildlife and habitat. Restoring fire-resilient forests doesn’t mean clear-cutting or cutting corners — it means thinning overgrown areas, restoring streams and replanting native species that can withstand heat and drought. These are the kinds of projects that protect homes and ecosystems alike.

New Mexico stands at the intersection of climate urgency and opportunity. With smart policy, we can protect our forests, rebuild local economies, and create landscapes that are stronger and more sustainable than before. Supporting the Fix Our Forests Act is not just about preventing the next fire. It’s about building a future where our forests, watersheds, and communities thrive together — where the lessons of loss become a blueprint for resilience.

Because when we take care of the land, it takes care of us.